Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Ordinary People

Ordinary people do extraordinary things every single day.
Most the time, these ordinary people don't make headlines.
They aren't setting out to cause a ruckus. They are not attention seeking.
They are simply people making some pretty awesome decisions.
Every once in awhile, these people are actually your people.

Your Papa tutored an elderly woman and helped her earn her GED as a Septuagenarian.
Your Auntie SG moved to Las Vegas at age 23.
Your Great-Grandma S. has handmade thousands of mission quilts.
Your Grandma G. submitted herself to genetic testing in the name of her family.
Your Daddy learned to eat (and like!) vegetables.
Your Auntie T. became a Mama.
All of your Great-Grandpas fought for their country.
Your Fairy Godmother got an early mammogram.
Your Bestie B$'s parents have fostered a bunch of littles.
You're surrounded by badass, selfless, brave people.

And then there's this guy.

Your Grandpa T.
One day he just up and started running.
In his '60's, he just walked out the front door one day and ran down the street.
And he did it again and again and again.
We joke he had on his standard denim with all that change in his pocket, flannel, & ancient Nikes when he first started running. It's actually not a joke. We're certain he did just that.

Because to him, it didn't matter.
Use what you got, where you are.
We also joke he enters his races because A) he loves free stuff like shirts and water bottles and B) what's better than being excused for work than running a 5k?
The answer to your Grandpa T. is, nothing.
Nothing is better.

Recently, your Grandma S. has been entering this races with him.
Bananas!
She is quick to add, "but I don't run! No way."
She's doing it for her husband of 40 years.
Support and camaraderie and the like. And matching t-shirts to boot!
It's quite the story, and we're so proud (and inspired!) of our people.

As with anything, there's a lesson here for you.
Use what you got, where you are.
All it ever takes is opening the door and beginning.

The Lil' Dude

A seven-year-old dynamo who never meets a stranger, nor cardboard box she doesn't love. Craves sleep, CheezIts, art, her people, making a difference, and singing her heart out. She's better than anything on any Starbucks menu.

That's What She Said

"I am enough. I am full of sparkle & compassion. I genuinely want to make the world a better place. I love hard. I practice kindness. I'm not afraid of the truth. I am loyal, adventurous, supportive, & surprising. I am a woman. I am enough. I make mistakes, but I own them & learn from them. Sometimes I make a lot of mistakes." -Molly Mahar